Out to see "Avatar" in 3D and stadium seating, we stopped at Pappadeaux for dinner. My husband had never eaten there & I had been only once or twice at an outpost in Atlanta.
My husband liked the buzz of the place and pronounced this restaurant "fun."
One thing we could not help but notice was the preponderance of truly large people in there. I'm talking the obese and the morbidly obese, with a few overweight folks thrown in. You really don't see much of that in the city places we frequent. But that's real America these days, for sure.
Well, the portion sizes at Pappadeaux are right on track with our nation's obesity epidemic. You can order a "smaller" (to us, normal) portion of some of the dishes, but most were scaled to suit the clientele. (Of course, that could be a chicken-and-egg thing.)
The food definitely was tasty, the prices quite reasonable, and we managed not to overeat.
He started with a real deal on oysters -- 6 large ones with all the proper trimmings for only $2.95. I had a cup of very flavorful seafood and sausage gumbo.
For entrees, he had a salmon dish (small portion) with dirty rice, while I went with a made-up veggie plate of three sides: steamed broccoli (no sauce), sauteed zucchini ribbons and the sinful cheese grits. I was able to leave about half the grits behind--they were delish.
He had a beer and I had a glass of sauvignon blanc, and the bill hit about $50, plus a tip.
We had a good time.
um, wow....your comments about obese people are a little judgemental, I'm sorry. You come off as rather snobby.
ReplyDeleteYes, I know that's judgmental and it gave me pause to post it. But the obesity problem is real, and IMHO both individuals and the food industry need to take it seriously.
ReplyDeleteIf you can suggest a more politic way to say so, I'd appreciate your thoughts.
Thanks for commenting.
I do not think anyone would disagree with you that obesity is a global issue. I think because you have always been slim/slender/athletic your views on larger people (and I am one of them) maybe a little slanted in this post.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you could have read the blog post over one more time before publishing and asked was it a "healthy foodie post" on a nice place in Cincinnati to get decent food or should you re-name it and the title could read 'Obesity is a Global Epidemic. How restaurants are NOT helping'
Thanks, anonymous, for your input. I really appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I have not always been slim. Both sides of my family have some very heavy folks. I was a chubby kid and teenager and had some periods of adult life when my weight spiked up. But I was just overweight and never really super heavy. For the past 10 years or so, I have managed to get a better handle on it, and my weight doesn't fluctuate more than about 5 pounds up or down.
Again, thanks!
I appreciated the comment about the overweight people. I am trying to find a healthy place to eat, and typically if most of the customers are obese, it's not a healthy place. The same goes for buffets. I am very overweight and am trying to lose weight. . .because it is not ok to be fat.
ReplyDeleteI had wanted to try this place for some time. Yesterday the wife, mother-in-law and I decided to do just that. We arrived around 5 PM and the place was packed. To me this was a good sign. After a half hour wait we were seated. One thing we did notice is you couldn't hear a thing in this large dining area. We were waited on by Charlie (nice kid). I ordered the Seafood Platter
ReplyDeletemy wife had a salad and shrimp & chickenfingers and the mother-in-law had shrimp. My wife got her salad and 3 min. later her dinner (not good).
I have been to some really good seafood houses and I must say that Pappadeaux will not be at the top of my list in the future. Relating to the comments above if you like french fries your going to be in Hog Heaven. I would say there was probably 1 to 1-1/2 lbs of greasy fries under the seafood on my plate. This was not the dining experience I had hoped for. I don't think we will be returning anytime soon.
I fully understand your reason for interjecting a comment about America's obesity problem. I have at thyroid condition that has put me on a very high end of the scale ---but through smart food choices and working out or just working whatever activity I can into my day, I am able to battle the odds and stay slender.
ReplyDeleteAs a foodie, especially a frequently blogging one, you HAVE to be willing to consider healthy choices, portion sizes, and all the technicalities that go along with weight control ---or you'd kill yourself exploring your passion.
I have eaten at Pappadeaux in my home state, and your observations are completely accurate here. Restaurants, despite the RECENT NEWS BUZZ that America's life expectancy has shortened due to heart/cholesterol/obesity issues, do not seem to alter their portion sizes to encourage necessary changes in diets.
In the end, your review still commended the fun and flavor of Pappadeaux while emphasizing it's dangers as well.. so it's topic was not "Obesity, the Global Epidemic"... it remains just fine as:
"Pappadeaux -- foray into the 'burbs"
IMHO, you wrote everything out just fine.
As I was searching for 'healthy foods at Pappadeaux' I found this post. I am really health conscious and research foods before I consume them. Anonymous, or anyone interested, I would suggest reading some posts on the Eat This, Not That blog for suggestions on how to eat healthier. After a while you will get a gauge on what's healthy and what foods to avoid based on their description
ReplyDeleteThank you for this article! I must preface this with the fact that I was blessed with a naturally high metabolism, and even at my heaviest wouldn't be considered obese. That being said, both of my in-laws are obese and they LOVE this place, so anytime they are in town you can count on a trip to Pappadeaux's. They try to "watch their weight" and go on yo-yo diets like Weight Watchers, only to totally sabotage themselves with "cheat meals" like this. I can't say I haven't had these enormous portion sizes (plus dessert) in the past, but part of living a healthy lifestyle is knowing what your body can and cannot process. It's a raw deal for some, and as Kristan above alluded if you're predisposed to obesity and weight gain, you just have to be that much smarter.
ReplyDeleteThank you for NOT sugar-coating the obesity epedemic, and for what it's worth I noticed the same thing the last time I was at Pappadeaux's. Many of the clientele would have been better suited to two chairs, and that's no lie.
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